TPDI Demands Apology From President Yudhoyono

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara, April 26 (Antara) - The Indonesian Democracy Defender Team (TPDI) demands an apology from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the recent attacks by a military unit on the Cebongan prison in Yogyakarta killing four criminal suspects. TPDI coordinator Petrus Selestinus said here on Friday that the president owed an apology to NTT people in Yogyakarta and Jakarta. "This (the apology) is important as a form of concern of the government for the fate of people from NTT outside the province as part of the nation," Petrus said. A group of the army crack troop forced the Cebongan jail guards to open the prison cells and shot dead the four inmates from NTT last month. The attacks was said to be a revenge for the murder of a member of the army`s elite force by the four suspects. He said TPDI also urged the Yogayakarta district and Jakarta city administrations to remove all banners put up in public places showing support for the attacks and the killing of the four suspected criminals by a group of 11 members of the army`s special troops. The messages in the banners are misleading , justifying the criminal act by the group of the servicemen , he said. The banners have been encouraged by statements of state leaders including the president and a number of military leaders as if the 11 servicemen had acted gallantly though legally wrong, he said. On the contrary Petrus called the murder of the four detainees as an act of cowardice with the perpetrators wearing masks and military weapon against defenseless people in their prison cells. He said TPDI demanded the president to retract his statement and apologize to the NTT people in Yogyakarta , Jakarta and in NTT. He also demanded the Yogyakarta and Jakarta governors to bring down the banners insulting NTT people in 14 days otherwise they would be legally sued. Chairman of Coalition of Citizens for the Yogyakarta Tragedy Elcid Li strongly condemned the "brutal and sadistic" murder of the four criminal suspects. "Indonesia is a law abiding nation where everyone is equal under the law, which sees people not by their ethnic, race and religious backgrounds. No one should be allowed to fall victim of extra judicial killing, Elcid said.